The NFL and the NCAA support the trend
Massachusetts Gaming Commission favors states' control over sports betting

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s chairman, Stephen P. Crosby, and his counterparts in three other jurisdictions said the expansion of sports betting is best handled by individual states.
Some leagues have argued in favor of strict federal control, and some have asked states to collect fees to help with the cost of monitoring for corruption.
T
he top gambling regulator in Massachusetts on Wednesday joined colleagues from several other states in rebuking the nation’s professional sports leagues over the future of sports betting,
in particular rejecting requests that the teams share in the spoils of legalized wagering on their games.

In a policy statement, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s chairman, Stephen P. Crosby, and his counterparts in three other jurisdictions said the expansion of sports betting is best handled by individual states.
Some leagues have argued in favor of strict federal control, and some have asked states to collect fees to help with the cost of monitoring for corruption.

“States and tribal gaming regulatory agencies have the capacity, resources, and ability to oversee the regulation of legalized sports betting,” said the statement,
also signed by gaming regulators in Louisiana, Michigan, and Nevada — currently the only state where single-game wagers are legal.

The US Supreme Court last week set into motion a law that prohibited the expansion of sports wagering, leaving states to decide whether to legalize it. On Wednesday,
Massachusetts House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo cast doubt on whether the Legislature could adopt a sports betting law this year.

He added that he is interested to see whether there will be any new federal laws governing what states may do.

In an interview, Crosby emphasized the gaming commission has no position on whether sports betting should be legal here. He does, however, believe that commissions like his are best
equipped to oversee the business where it is allowed. “There’s a regulatory environment that’s already very experienced, and very well set up, and in the case of Nevada, a proven success vehicle,”
Crosby said.

The National Football League and the NCAA have been particularly vocal in calling for Congress to set a nationwide standard for states that pursue legalization,
though federal lawmakers have not taken significant steps toward doing so.